Mabille’s own words were the perfect description of the collection, in that the collection was all about mixing “eveningwear with daywear”, and he also said that “sensuality” played a major role, which was definitely apparent. Because of this, we were presented a plethora of new and exciting dress silhouettes, as well as plenty of separates to keep things diverse and interesting.

Primary colors were at the core of this collection, which is surprising considering the underlying sensuality Mabille was pushing forth with his line. What resulted was a line of clothes that felt inherently ’70s, with California girl sensibilities. The integrity of the construction was never in question, but at some point Mabille’s taste was. Mainly this was due to the restraint he showed; it actually worked against him this season.

In the past, we knew Mabille for over-embellishing his collections, but for the past couple of years he has definitely toned back, sometimes for the better, but in cases like this not so much. Looking at the cluster of color and the volume, it’s hard not to wish he had dipped back into his old design aesthetic and opted for a bit more flashiness; that would have been the factor to push this collection over the edge into success.

While visually a great deal of the Alexis Mabille spring 2017 ready-to-wear collection was joyous to look at, the wearability was questionable at some points. This was particularly due to the large scale of some of the detailing and the amount of sheer fabric within some looks. However, super wearable looks were cute and ready for the streets.

A coral dress with a large bow walked the catwalk near the beginning of the show, and marked one of the more youthful, easy to wear looks in the lineup. But the bust line definitely made it more matronly, so there wasn’t such a good balance in that regard. This piece, and others like it were good by all accounts, but there was nothing new or extraordinary about them, which is where this collection inevitably fell short.

But overall, there was a sense of stability within the line that brought everything together. All of the garments had a structural integrity that reminded us that Mabille has a strong sense of himself as a designer, and that he is working to test the boundaries of his restraint and use of embellishments.

This work of balance was shown in the strong colors matched with the standard silhouettes. All in all, it was easy to appreciate Mabille’s collection and his apparent aesthetic, but it left us wanting more.

Courtney is a student majoring in mass communication and professional writing. She works as a writer and editor, and has a wide variety of hobbies, such as fashion, reading/writing poetry, sewing, and playing video games.